


Operation Shacktron

by congressmanmabel



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode: s02e20 Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls, Fiddleford Appreciation Month, Friendship, Spoilers - Journal 3, Weirdmageddon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 16:11:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10539969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/congressmanmabel/pseuds/congressmanmabel
Summary: In the midst of Weirdmageddon, Fiddleford McGucket hatched an idea that may defeat Bill, rescue Stanford Pines and save Gravity Falls.Written for Fiddleford Appreciation Month





	

Surviving Weirdmageddon proved to be a difficult challenge for Fiddleford McGucket. After isolating himself in the bunker with Racoon Wife proved to be fruitless with memories of the shapeshifter haunting his mending mind, the bearded eccentric decided to haul out and take his chances with Bill’s minions.

Fiddleford soon discovered that the initial attack on Gravity Falls scattered many of its locals, humans and creatures alike, forcing them into hiding in the woods. He came across many young children who fended for themselves, including Pacifica Northwest and a small boy named Gourney. It pained him to see so many vulnerable youngins who suffered under that blasted demon’s cruelty. They should belong in a safe home, not out in the woods where Bill’s lackeys were crawlin’ about! The eccentric inventor soon figured out that the only place to find some sort of sanctuary was the Mystery Shack. McGucket took matters into his own hands, leading his two wards to gather any survivors they could find and leading them to shelter.

He found many familiar faces along the way: Sheriff Blubbs, Candy Chiu, Grenda, that woodpecker feller from the Society of the Blind Eye. But there were also many supernatural beings that joined the band of stragglers. Critters as small as the gnomes and Lilputtians to large ones such as the Multibear and the Manataurs. It saddened Fiddleford to see so many people suffering. But he had to make sure that all of the afflicted were brought to safety.  
  
By the end of the first day, Fiddleford led the group towards the Mystery Shack. The hillbilly was initially nervous about confronting Stan Pines, but he also held hope that Dipper and Mabel were there as well. Fortunately for Fiddleford and the survivors, Stan reluctantly allowed them shelter, even stating that the house was weird-proofed. But Fiddleford learned that the young Pines twins were nowhere to be found.    
  
In the following days, McGucket did whatever he could to maintain stability inside the Mystery Shack. He and a select few of survivors went on an expedition to retrieve the abundance of leftover food rations in the bunker, and picked up a few more stragglers along the way. Fiddleford even used his laptop in an attempt to connect with people outside of Gravity Falls for assistance, which resulted in no avail.

On the fourth day, the Mystery Shack experienced a miracle as Dipper, Mabel, Wendy and Soos arrived safely at the protected tourist trap. But the celebrations were cut short as the survivors discovered more of Bill Cipher’s depravity. Turns out that all of the citizens who were turned to stone were constructed into a throne of human agony. Hope seemed to be out of reach for the remaining populace.

But Dipper and Mabel Pines revitalized their spirits with an empowered speech. The revelation of Ford Pines knowing Bill Cipher’s weakness gave them the motivation to rescue him and the other citizens from Bill’s captivity. This uplifting development gave Fiddleford McGucket, the town eccentric, the inspiration to devise a plan to defeat Bill. But the only question of how still remains…

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Have you all forgotten who's in charge here?” Stan interrupted the cheering survivors. His gravelly voice laced with pessimism and spite. “Besides, we're only safe inside! It's not like we can take the Mystery Shack to Bill.”

A spark lit in Fiddleford’s mind.

 _“Wha--Whoa! Holy hootenany! Flapjack and fiddlebanjos!”_   The old hillbilly exclaimed as he jigged.

The old man noticed his eureka moment and spontaneous dancing captured the attention of his friends. Dipper, Mabel, Soos and the others looked onto the hillbilly with great concern while Stan frowned at him with annoyance. Fiddleford brought himself back into clarity as he apologized, “Sorry, sorry. Got a little excited.”

His right leg, however, refused to bow down as his knee continued to bounce a hundred miles a minute and his foot thumped furiously. Fiddleford frowned at his manic limb and slapped his knee, causing his bodily movement to cease.

He turned his attention back to the others. “What I meant to say is I think I figured out a way to fight Bill and rescue Ford. But we're all gonna have to work together. Now!”

With the snap of his fingers, one of the gnomes he befriended placed his green glasses on the bridge of his nose. Now that his reading glasses corrected Fiddleford’s normally askew eyesight, he was ready to take action.

Fiddleford motioned for his friends to come over. Dipper, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy ran towards the eccentric man with great excitement and the five of them converged in a group huddle. Fiddleford explained the gist his plan in secret, and the kids were happily on board with his idea.

* * *

Fiddleford spent all morning perfecting his blueprints, his doodles as he liked to call them, and presented the final draft of his designs to the survivors. He hoped that the others would find his doodles to be useful for the mission.  

“Alright. I've made some _thingamadiculous robomajigs_ in my day, but this is the first one that won't be used for evil.” McGucket proclaimed as he unscrolled his blueprint out for Dipper, Mabel and Soos to see. To Fiddleford’s suprise, the young twins’ faces lit up once they saw his intricate designs.

“Whoa! These blueprints are incredible, McGucket.” Dipper exclaimed.

“This is your most amazing invention yet.” Mabel added.

Fiddleford radiated with joy at the twins’ compliments. All his life he wanted to create machines that would benefit mankind, ranging from his portable laptops to robot legs. But after his involvement with the portal caused his downward spiral, he created many destructive robots what rampaged through the town. Now was his chance to build a destructive robot that could save Gravity Falls.  

“Question, does it have any gun-swords?” Soos inquired. McGucket and the others looked at the portly young man with befuddlement, but Soos continued his explanation with confidence on his expertise. “I watch a lot of anime and, _ha-ha_ , trust me, you're gonna want some gun-swords.”

“What's an _anime_?” Fiddleford asked, squinting at the young man.

Soos softly placed his hand on the eccentric’s shoulder as he nodded, “We have much to discuss.” Fiddleford was confused as to what this _anime_ is, but he was intrigued nonetheless.

“Discuss nothing!” Stan roared. The ‘chief’ of the stragglers frowned upon Fiddleford as he leaned back on his chair with his arms crossed. “These scribbles are a bunch of cockamamie balderdash! Excuse my French.”

 _“Je ne sais quoi sacrebleu au revoir!”_ A French Lilputtian retaliated at the grumpy old man.

Stan ignored the criticism and continued to doubt Fiddleford and the others. “And where would you even find a bunch of idiots who would be crazy enough to build it?”

“Grunkle Stan, you're looking at those idiots.” Mabel declared. The other survivors soon cheered in response, more than excited to go along with the plan.

Fiddleford was unable to contain his joy. The overwhelming approval gave him more than enough encouragement to proceed to the next step of the mission.

* * *

In the empty recreation hall of the Mystery Shack, Fiddleford stood on a makeshift podium, and explained the main objective of the mission: to infiltrate the Fearamid and rescue Ford. On the podium, Fiddleford presented a map of the town, with large circles around Bill’s lair and a picture of Ford next to it. Fiddleford proceeded to explain how to retrieve the parts as the disembodied head of Wax Larry King to aid him pointed out the important locations on the town map with his small white baton.

Fiddleford explained how the town dump held an abundance of scrap metal, as well as the old Gobblewonker robot and the remaining leg of the Gideon-bot. He also pointed out that he could transform the portal into a ‘power-crotch’ that would generate the main energy source to power the robot. Although he was unable to install any gun-swords, much to Soos’s disappointment, he was still open for other options on what to use for the spare limb.

“Now does anyone have any questions?” Fiddleford announced. It wasn’t long before he saw a hand in the air, one that belonged to a certain anime fan.

“Soos?”

The portly man stood up. “Well, I was thinking, maybe we could add one of the dinosaurs trapped in tree-sap from the underground mines and we could use it as an arm or something.” Soos explained. “I mean, if gun-swords are out of the question, then dino arms would be a good back-up plan.”

“I second that idea!” Dipper exclaimed, beaming up at the handyman. “Dino-bros for life!” Soos and Dipper fist-bumped each other.

“I reckon we can make it work. I can lead a quick excavation ta fish out that T-Rex fer the robot.” Fiddleford answered.

“We wanna help!!” The two manotaurs exclaimed. Many of the gnomes also raised their hands and shouted, wanting to be apart of the side-mission as well. Fiddleford smiled at the sudden enthusiasm.  

The old man soon noticed another hand up in the air, one that belonged to the young Corduroy girl. He pointed out and called, “Yeah?”

Wendy stood up and inquired, “I know this machine is, like, super complex and everything, but how are we able to provide extra energy to maneuver it?”

“Easy! We can install an extra-long treadmill that could provide maximum power in case we need the extra energy.”

“Oh, could we use Several Timez to run the treadmill? And can they be shirtless?” Mabel requested, her lust for male beauty dripping in her voice. Candy and Grenda soon squealed in agreement.

“Let’s ask how they feel,” Fiddleford responded. He turned towards the five blondes and asked “How do you fellers feel about operatin’ the treadmill?”

 _“We would love tooooo!!!”_ The humanoid boyband chorused in five-part harmony.

“Well that settles it!” Fiddleford exclaimed. “I reckon’ it’ll take us a while ta build the robot, but seein’ the enthusiasm from all of ya, we can whip up that machine about as quick as a suit-up montage!”

* * *

After the group dispersed from the meeting room, Fiddleford went into the gift shop. He needed to retrieve the necessary items to build to the robot from the basement laboratory. All he had to do was enter the code to gain access. McGucket stared at the keypad, hoping to trigger any memory that would help him.

_Dagnabbit, what was that code??_

Fiddleford stood puzzling at the vending machine before him. He knew that there was a secret door to the lab behind it, but he was unable to recall the entrance code.

“Do you need help Mr. McGucket?”

Fiddleford jumped at the sudden question. But upon turning around, he saw that it was only Dipper Pines.

“Howdy Dipper!” He greeted nervously, running his hands through his thick beard as his cheeks turned scarlet. “As ya can see, I’m in a bit of a fix. I’m trying ta go inside this here basement ta gather some supplies fer the robot. But I just can’t git past this here machine…”

“Let me help you out.” Dipper calmly offered. The boy scooted past Fiddleford and placed his hand over the keypad. After punching in the sequenced buttons, the secret door opened itself and left a small crevice between the vending machine and the wall.

Fiddleford smiled at the young Pines boy. “Why thank ya Dipper.”

“Sure thing Mr. McG.” Dipper replied. “Do you need any assistance? I know where Great Uncle Ford keeps his tools.”

“Well absolutely! I reckon I need the help anyways wit rememberin’ the ol’ laboratory.”

Dipper reached into the inside pocket of his vest and whipped out a small red flashlight. Once he illuminated their path with the flashlight, they began to make their way down the old staircase. Memories from over thirty years ago flooded Fiddleford’s mind. He recalled trotting down these stairs before holing himself up with his partner Ford Pines, working for nights on end on the portal. The inventor assumed that their machine would make a scientific breakthrough and lead humanity in the next steps of progress. The thought of discovering a way to travel through dimensions seemed harmless at the time. But poor Fiddleford became suspicious of Ford’s 'outside help', as well as his partner’s other supernatural exploits, which culminated in the disastrous test-run of the portal and their falling out as partners.

Fiddleford sighed determinedly. He couldn’t dwell on the demons of his past any longer. He needed to focus on fighting back against Bill and to save Ford.

During the halfway point of their trek to the laboratory, Dipper decided to engage in some friendly small talk with the bearded inventor.

“So, how have doing lately?” The Pines boy asked, his voice laced with concern. “Have you gotten any more of your memories back?”

“I have!” Fiddleford responded enthusiastically. “I’ve been gettin’ more flashbacks over the past few weeks. Though some of ‘em were frightenin’, I received plenty of great memories back as well. I even recalled a lotta memories wit yer uncle Ford.”

Once they arrived in the basement, Dipper located the cabinets where Ford had kept his power tools. Fiddleford opened up his brown sack and the two began to collect the appropriate tools.

“I remember him saying how you two were college buddies.” Dipper noted.

“Indeed we were!” Fiddleford responded. He smiled as he reminisced of the good times he spent with Ford. Back when they were students who clung to each other for happiness and moral support. College would not have been as joyous for either of them had they not befriended each other.  

“He an’ I were roommates fer a couple years an’ the two of us were like peas in a pod! We spent most of our free time together playin’ _Dungeons, Dungeons an’ More Dungeons_ in our dorm.”

“Wait a minute, you play _Dungeons, Dungeons and More_ _Dungeons_?!"Dipper exclaimed. “I love that game!”

“Sweet Sally Sugar, that’s wonderful!” Fiddleford exclaimed with a grin. “It’s always nice ta learn that youngins are inta table-top gamin’!”

“If we're able to pull off the rescue mission and save the town, maybe at some point afterwards Maybe we could start a DD and More D campaign with Ford.” The boy offered hopefully. 

“I’d love that Dipper!” Fiddleford accepted, giving the young adventurer a hopeful smile of his own.

Soon after their enthusiastic discussion, the continued to fill the bag with tools. Fiddleford was surprised to see his welding equipment near the doorway to the main lab. He carefully gathered the supplies before placing them into the bag. As they scoured the lab for other appliances, Fiddleford noticed how quiet Dipper was. He preteen seemed to be pondering over something serious. Before Fiddleford could ask, Dipper spoke up in a serious tone, “I know this sounds kinda personal, but have you talked to your son since you got your memories back?”

Fiddleford hesitated. His hands went back to stroking his beard, which was an improvement from pulling out his hair. His knee began to thump at a rapid rate, but Fiddleford gave it a smack. The inventor carefully answered the boy’s inquiry.

“Unfortunately I haven’t. I wanted ta talk ta Tate, but I’ve been so scared that he’d turn away from me again. But I can’t hardly blame him though, after bein’ such a terrible father an’ all...”

McGucket wanted to reconnect with his son, but his paranoia over the apocalypse got the better of him and he went into hiding. For weeks he struggled with his fear of Bill coming to decimate everything he knew and loved. Fiddleford cursed himself for being so cowardly and succumbing to his anxiety. Maybe he doesn’t deserve Tate’s forgiveness...

Fiddleford’s mind returned to the present when he felt a small hand on his arm.

“Hey,” Dipper spoke to McGucket in a calming voice. Fiddleford noticed how the boy was staring up towards him, his soft brown eyes pooling with sympathy and comfort. “We’re gonna save everyone in town with your robot and you’ll have the chance to talk to him again.”

The preteen’s determined tone warded off the anxiousness that clouded Fiddleford’s mind. Dipper had faith in him. Fiddleford gave the boy a tearful smile.

“Thank ya Dipper.”

Dipper returned the smile, but his face soon fell into remorse. “And before I forget, I want to apologize for ditching you during the party at Northwest Manor. I should have listened to you back then.”

Fiddleford became concerned for the boy when he saw him looking downcast at the ground. He approached Dipper and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright son, it's all water under the bridge. I know we all make decisions in the past that we ain’t proud of. But what’s important is that we learn from our mistakes so we can try ta become better people.”

Dipper was shocked that Fiddleford had forgiven him with such ease. But what’s more, the hillbilly was able to relate to his problems. Dipper looked up at McGucket once more with his head held high and stated, “You’re right Mr. McGucket.”

Once the two gathered up the appropriate tools, Fiddleford felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned  to find Dipper by his side.

“I know that building the robot’s gonna be a challenging task, and one that requires engineering expertise. So I was wondering if you could teach me how to weld, just so you could have a helping hand.”

Fiddleford beamed at the boy. “Why of course I’d love ta teach ya! I’ve always wanted ta have an apprentice who's eager ta learn!”

Dipper hesitated with his response. “Yeah...apprentice...” He muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

Fiddleford immediately noticed the boy’s anxiousness. “Is everythin’ alright Dipper?”

“Well, no...” Dipper admitted. After heaving up the bag of tools he walked up to the old man. “It’s just before Weirdmageddon my great uncle Ford and I bonded together and we had a lot of discussions involving Gravity Falls and its history. And our last expedition he wanted me to be his apprentice and stay with him after the summer ended. I was hesitant at first, and he did try to pressure me into it, but after saving him from an alien security droid, I accepted. But then Weirdmageddon happened and I’ve done a lot of thinking and soul searching during that time, and I finally made up my mind: I’m not taking his apprenticeship. I decided that I want to go back home to California with Mabel and grow up with her. But I’m just afraid that he’ll be disappointed in me when I break the news to him.”

Fiddleford bit his lip when he saw the young boy rubbing his arm whilst sadly gazing at his feet. It pained him to see this young boy, his friend, this upset. The old eccentric knelt down and spoke to Dipper at his eye level. 

“I know Ford’s the type of fella who’s too deep into his own work, but I also know fer a fact that he would never be disappointed in you Dipper. Yer a bright, brave an’ carin’ young lad, an’ from what ya told me, I reckon ya must’a helped yer uncle readjust ta life back in Gravity Falls. He’d be sad ta see ya leave Gravity Falls, certainly, but I reckon he’d respect yer decision.” 

After letting Fiddleford’s words settle in, Dipper acknowledged him with a determined nod. “Well it’s all the more motivation to rescue him."

The old man smiled back, glad to have brought comfort to the boy."

"We should probably get to building that giant robot if we're gonna save all of Gravity Falls.” Dipper piped up.

Fiddleford grinned. “I can give ya a quick lesson on how ta properly weld metal before we start buildin' the robot!”

* * *

Turned out that marathoning anime with Soos was a wise idea in Fiddleford’s humble opinion. The old inventor had never seen anything so colorful and vibrant before in his life. He took down serious notes as he watched _Neon Crisis Revelations Angry Cute Girl: Annihilation_. Despite the unusual approach, Fiddleford reckoned that any form preparation for the ShackTron was vital.

“And young Kenji Atari here marches off into battle with his EVO mech. Look upon his courageous appearance as he marches into battle.” Soos articulated with seriousness. The young man used a small baton to emphasize the beginning of mecha fight. But the ending credits halted the energetic sequence.  

Fiddleford nodded solemnly as he quickly wrote down his notes. “Thank ya fer enlightenin’ me on this important matter Soos.” He said truthfully.

“Your welcome dawg.” Soos replied. “And if we successfully pull off this mission, you can always come over to my place and watch some more anime if you like.”

“Ya mean there’s different type of anime?” Fiddleford asked in awe.

“You bet dude. There’s other sci-fi anime, supernatural anime, romance anime, just about any type of genre you can think of. Heck, there’s even anime surrounding tentacles of all things!”

“Well kettle my corn,” Fiddleford drawled. “All those types of anime sound mighty fascinatin’."

Soos put away his teaching stick and sat down next to Fiddleford. “The world of anime is a magical world, but a dangerous one as well. If you let be your guide, I can show you all of its wonders and protect you from its hideous side.”

Fiddleford beamed at the handyman. “I’d love ta learn more about anime Soos. You are the expert after all.”

Soos blushed at the compliment. “Aww dude.”

Sounds of a powerful synth boomed from the television. The show’s opening theme signaled Soos and Fiddleford’s attention. The old inventor held his pencil and notebook at the ready. There was still much more to learn.

* * *

Fiddleford and Dipper were busily testing out the robot-arm with Grenda. After the brawny girl punched through an evergreen tree, the inventor and the boy beamed at each other upon seeing the success of the machine. Wendy, who was in the midst of beating a picture of Bill taped onto the punching bag, looked at the robot arm with fascination.

"So I take it that the arm works?" She quipped.

"Most certainly Miss Corduroy!" Fiddleford replied. "All that's next is ta whip up another arm an' the robot will soon be complete!" 

"Nice!" Wendy exclaimed. "I can lend you an extra hand if you like." 

"Sounds great. I'm gonna make some extra notes on my doodles, so I'll meet you kids by the scrap pile!"

With resounding nods, Wendy and Dipper sprinted from their positions towards the backyard. 

As McGucket looked back at his blueprints, he heard a bubbly voice ask him, “What’s your favorite thing Mr. McGucket?”

The old man looked over to find Mabel Pines smiling at him. The girl’s upbeat demeanor was so infectious that Fiddleford couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“Oh! Well I like raccoons.” He answered. “They’re playful, easy ta talk wit’, an’ I even married one!”

“Great!” Mabel replied as she quickly wrote in her notebook. “Thank you!”

“Yer welcome dear!” Fiddleford hollered as he saw the girl sprint into the shack. He couldn’t help but wonder why she scurried inside.

Unbeknownst to Fiddleford, Mabel had a surprise for him.

Fiddleford and the survivors (save for Stanley) worked long and hard on the robot until the orange sky changed into magenta. By then they had completed putting the robot together and rightfully decided to call it a day. The survivors agreed to spend the night by the campfire within the boundaries of the unicorn hair.

After a long day’s work, Fiddleford’s overalls were dirtied up with mud, oil and sweat. He was about to step inside the Mystery Shack to wash up for dinner when an irate Stan approached him.

“And where do you think you’re going possum breath?” The conman spat.

“Well I was gonna clean off before supper time.” Fiddleford replied.

“Oh no you don’t! You’re not stepping one foot inside my house with those overalls on.”

Fiddleford stared confusedly at Stan. He knew that the con man put up a gruff affront, and that he acted especially grumpy since Weirdmageddon began. But back then, the inventor assumed that Stan was secretly upset that his niblings went missing and that he didn’t want to reveal his emotional side. But now that he had the kids back, it seemed strange that Stan acted even angrier.

But Fiddleford was not one to put up a fight with the tourist trap proprietor. He needed to wash his overalls anyways.

“Well, if ya insist!” Fiddleford answered. He unbuttoned the straps of his beat-up overalls, causing them to slide down his scrawny frame and onto the ground. The hillbilly now donned his tattered briefs.

The conman covered his eyes with his hands. “Ugh, gross!” He barked. “You’re not stepping inside my house period!”

Fiddleford frowned at Stan. He wasn’t going to put up with the man’s rudeness any longer. “Why you gotta be so mad Stanley?” The inventor asked. “Is this about Ford?”

Stan stared daggers at the hillbilly, gritting his teeth with frustration. “One more remark like that and I’m sendin’ ya outside the barrier for good!!”

The ‘chief’ shoved him aside as he marched away from the shack and past the broken-down fences.

Fiddleford let out a somber sigh. A chilly breeze soon blew through the Mystery Shack, causing Fiddleford to shiver. The old man brought his calloused hands against his stick-thin forearms, trying his best to warm himself from the cold wind.

Not a second later, Mabel stepped out of the shack carrying two large tote bags.

“Mr. McGucket, why aren’t you wearing any pants?” She asked.

“Oh, w-well I got inta a bit of a confrontation wit yer uncle, an’ he wanted me ta not go in the house since I was all dirty. Nothin’ ta worry about!”

Mabel pursed her lips as her heart went out to the old man. She quickly grabbed one of her tote bags and scoured through its contents before retrieving a large article of clothing.

“Here you go!” She chirped as she handed him the large heap of fabric.

Fiddleford untangled his gift. It was a large red sweater with a raccoon head stitched in the middle. A great smile soon flashed Fiddleford’s face. “Why thank ya darlin’, this sweater is wonderful!”

“I wanted to make sure that you had something warm to wear.” Mabel explained.

Fiddleford threw the sweater over his head and tried it on. The sweater was approximately three-sizes too large for the old man as fell down to his knees, but the soft fabric was quite comfortable. He appreciated Mabel's thoughtful gift.

“Well I love it Mabel!”

The girl smiled back at the old man. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Mabel soon picked up her tote bags in one hand and grabbed Fiddleford’s bandaged hand with the other.

“Let’s go grab some dinner. I bet you’re hungry after working on that robot all day.”

Fiddleford only responded with a smile as he allowed the young girl to lead him towards the camp site.

He hoped to share one more peaceful night with his fellow survivors before the final stand. When they were close to the campfire, Fiddleford noticed Dipper, Soos and Wendy waving at them. It warmed the old man's heart to look at the jovial faces of the friends he had gotten to know. With all of the effort that Fiddleford and his friends put in, he knew that they will be able to fight back against that horrid demon and save the town. 


End file.
